Walking in Faith

I am working through a book by Kenneth Boa called “Handbook to Prayer – Praying Back Scripture to God” (Logos link) or also called “Face to Face: Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship” (Amazon link).  [NOTE: I have no clue why the title change... I should probably look into that at some point, but that's for another day.]

I came across a prayer today that has really got me thinking.  It’s nothing new, it’s nothing revolutionary, but it is really challenging me in my walk.

Faithfulness as a Steward…

• Of time
• Of talents
• Of treasure
• Of truth
• Of relationships

This got me thinking about myself as a steward of God’s things.  I started thinking about what I did today/tonight.  There were certainly some rewarding times and conversation.. but could I have done more?  It was also interesting to me that I read a blog on ChurchCrunch entitled “The End is Part of the Plan” where John talks about the most valuable thing he has, quantitatively, is time.

I waste so much time on unimportant things that add no value to God, to my family or to those around me — things that are ultimately a “time suck”.  I need to get more organized and intentional around my time committments, especially on days/nights where I don’t have a planned schedule/agenda (such as work days).  I need to get more intentional about who I am spending time with, how much time I am spending with them and what we are talking about.

From an encouragement perspective, today, I have several very good conversations.

1. I met with Johnathan Dodson from Austin City Life and discussed Fight Clubs.  Amazing guy with a vision for reaching people in the Austin central area.  I am definitely better off today having spent time interacting with him.
2. I spent time interacting with a Catholic at work about faith by works versus salvation through Christ alone.  It wasn’t a confrontational discussion, it was just some sharing.  It challenged me to be able to share the gospel in a way that didn’t respect his beliefs, but also demonstrated what I believe and why I believe it.  The Bible is a powerful thing and we can’t take it’s truths for granted.
3. I hung out with my oldest daughter for a few minutes as she laid down for bed and we talked about her day.  She had a tough day but didn’t want to orginally talk about it.  It was very cool that I was able to tell her that she can always tell me anything and I will just listen — not try to fix it.  I gave her a big hug and let it go.  She decided to share with me after a minute or two how her day didn’t go so well at school for a couple of various reasons.  By the time we ended the conversation, she was laughing and smiling as big as she could.  We even talked about how she is always “watching me” to see what I do in every situation.  She told me “you are cool and I want to be just like you.”  There are probably never going to be words coming out of her mouth that are that powerful and impactful to me. That is what it is all about with children.

I am incredibly blessed.  Now, what I need to do is use the talents and giftings God has given me to have a greater impact.  Not an impact on myself but on my family, on my church, on my community, on my co-workers.  All of these people are gifts to me from God.  To view any one of them as something other than that just lessens the real value of the possibilities God has laid before me to have a greater impact for His kingdom.

Jason Worthen Christianity, Stewardship Family, Prayer, Stewardship

Matthew 28:18-20

¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

My goal isn’t to do an exegetical analysis of the “great commission” but to challenge people to pray about global missions.  How often do I sit in the comfort of my home and not consider the persecution and turmoil other people are experiencing around the global for the cause of Christ.  God’s Word tells us that we should expect to meet persecution.  In fact, we should even rejoice in it!

I have heard some (including John Piper) say that there are “go’ers” and “send’ers” — not everyone is called to be a missionary.  However, we are all called to obedience to God’s Word and His word says that we are to make disciples of all nations.  I would encourage and challenge anyone who reads this to prayerfully consider what impact you personally are being called by God to have with respect to global missions.

In the interest of spurring on your research, I offer a couple of links (this is not even close to an exhaustive list) that might help you get plugged into reliable and Christ-center organizations focused on reaching the nations with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

East West Ministries

Samaritan’s Purse

Jason Worthen Christianity Christ, Global Missions, Missions

The LORD disciplines those whom are in His family. He disciplines like a father to his son. God disciplines us because He loves us. His discipline is a blessing to us and teaches us, moreover reinforces with us, His law. He has done this since the beginning of time and He continues to do this today. He is the God of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

God will not forsake His people. He has made a covenant with them and He will honor that covenant. Our God keeps His promises. He does not say one thing and then do another (like man). He will not leave His chosen family — the believers and saved souls. God provides blessings for those whom He disciplines.

Jason Worthen Christianity, Psalms, Quiet Time, Religion

God is my refuge, my fortress and my rock. He will deliver me (v3), He will cover me (v4) and I will not fear (v5). He does this because of His deep love for me. I don’t deserve this. I have done nothing in my life that would warrant God being my protect and yet He does so willingly. What does that tell me about my God? He loves me even though I have done nothing to deserve it. Certainly, I can relate that to my wife and my kids. It doesn’t matter what they do, what they say, or how they act — I will always love them. Pride gets in the way with man and that is when the actions of our loved ones start to affect our relationship. Unless we have a deep rooted belief that God will leave us because we have done something wrong, we are lying to ourselves. We are made in the image (characteristics) of God. He forgives us time and time again no matter what we do or say (save perhaps sinning against the Spirit). Yet, we consistently find it difficult to forgive. We find it easier (and more comfortable) to find ways out of a situation instead of forgiving and returning to that person. To take an extreme example, if one of my kid’s murdered someone, would I forgive them and still love them? Absolutely. Would I be terribly saddened by the loss and the sin? Of course! I know this is an extreme example but it is relevant to how God forgives us. I don’t think many would argue that if a person was on death row but truly repented of their sins and asked Christ into their heart, God would forgive them and accept them into His family. Why should it be different for us? Are we more advanced, more knowledgeable, more just than He? Of course not! We must listen to our Father and be obedient to Him more than anything else. That means that we follow His example of forgiving, His example of providing though not worthy. I am not worthy of my wife but God has a different plan in place. I am blessed just to have her in my life.

Verses 11 through 13 are incredibly interesting to ponder…

For He will command His angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder;
    the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

God loves me so much that He has put me a step above the angels. He has them working to protect me. He will work on their hands to protect me and provide for me. That is an extremely humbling thought. Angels are the heavenly hosts and yet they working for the Lord to provide for me. God is so gracious and forgiving. He does all of this even though I sin against Him countless times every single day. I am amazed by His grace and His love. I have so much to learn and so much growing to do in order to truly serve the Lord with all of my heart, with all of your mind and with all of my soul.

The end of this Psalm is the part that really peaks my interest, however… “Because He holds fast to me in love…”

1. He will deliver me.
2. He will protect me.
3. He will answer me when I call.
4. He will be with me.
5. He will rescue me.
6. He will honor me.
7. He will satisfy me.
8. He will show me His salvation.

Thank you, Father God, for doing all of this for me when I have done nothing to deserve you. Thank you for your great love and compassion. I pray that I can live my life every single day in a way that is closer and closer to the way You call me to live. I pray that the light I can shine into people’s lives would be Your light instead of a worldly light. I thank you, Father, for Your great Word that motivates and inspires me beyond my imagination. You are amazing! Thank you, Father.

Jason Worthen Christianity, Prayer Requests, Psalms, Quiet Time, Religion

The immediate thing that stands out is LORD of Hosts. What is interesting is that just tonight my mother-in-law was praying about this name of the LORD — Jehovah Sabaoth. I could spend the entire time meditating on this name of God but I am choosing to continue meditating on the Psalm itself.

“My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD…” This is a very powerful image. As I think about what it means to long for something so bad that it would almost drive me to faint. Love is a lot like that. We long so much to be with someone — sometimes so much that it almost hurts! To long for the LORD can be so overwhelming that it will cause someone to faint. Do I desire God that much? Does my life show that or is it the exact opposite? If God is my greatest desire, just to be in His courts would be supremely better than anything else. As the Scripture says at the end of this Psalm: “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” A single day versus a thousand days. One day versus 3 years. I would rather spend one day with God than three years in the most beautiful place on the entire earth. That really makes me think about my desires.

What does it mean for my heart and flesh to sing for joy? We all know what it means for our flesh to crave something. We know what it means when our flesh sings for joy — as from an intimate moment with a loved one. I think of how it feels when you first kiss the person that you love for your entire life — your heart simply sings a song of joy. David is saying that he feels this way all of the time for God. His heart and his flesh are singing to God. Of course, it isn’t just any god — it is the living God. Our God is, was and always will be. David knew that. He lived his life in a way that demonstrated that. Again, do I live my life in a way that shows that my greatest desire is God?

Jason Worthen Christianity, Personal, Psalms, Quiet Time, Religion